The Death of Truth, 8x10 Avant-Garde, Picasso-ish Oil on Canvas

The Pieces of Eight Painting Group's Monthly Challenge for November was to do an avant-garde work, stepping way outside our comfort zones. I used Picasso as my inspiration, although if I were trying harder, I guess I would have had an eye where the ear is, or a foot coming out of the head.

I think the painting is self-explanatory.

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Young Cardinal, 6x8 Oil Painting, Wildlife Art

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This was an experiment, adding punch to this painting with vivid color. Baby birds are just so cute, especially when all fluffed up.

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Gordes, France, A Page from My Sketch Journal

I love Provence. I love the vineyards, olive groves, lavender fields, medieval villages, Roman ruins, and the food. I love hearing, "Bonjour, Madame," and the all-encompassing word, "Voila!" I love the people. 

Did I mention the food? Vive la France!

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Mougins, France, a page from my journal

The beautiful little village of Mougins sits atop a mountain, as do so many Medieval villages in France. Only a few people live there. The town is full of art galleries and restaurants, and when we first saw it, my sister said, "I want to live here!" The food--oh my goodness, the food is so good, every time I had a meal I wanted to shout, "Vive la France!"

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Stormy Day, 5x7 Original Oil on Canvas Panel Seascape

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The beach and stormy weather are an exciting combination. The colors become subdued, but the action does not, and I love being able to see the rain far off in the distance. 

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Like an iPhone Cowboy, 6x8 Small Oil Painting on Canvas

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I was hiking with our painting group, high in the Smoky Mountains, when I saw this man talking on his phone. Subsequently, he almost fell off the horse, which makes me wonder what kind of disturbing conversation it must have been. I do like the pretty little horse. You never know what you'll see in the mountains.

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Iris, 6x8 Original Oil on Canvas Daily Painting

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I am mining pictures I took of the gorgeous blooms at Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina for floral daily paintings. Sometimes I think I'd like to be locked away to just paint for days with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. It worked for Rembrandt, at least artistically, but he forgot to pay the bills. That was unfortunate, because he was quite the consumer.

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Provence Biker, 8x10 Original Oil Painting of the South of France

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My sister and I were on our way to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse in Provence when we saw this man on his bike. Except for the very narrow roads, this is a beautiful place to be riding, surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and lavender fields. Though I have many photos of Italy, France and Austria, I just couldn't wait to paint this guy.

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Florida Vista, 6x8 Original Oil Landscape with Clouds, Free Shipping

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I enjoy the contrast in light that Florida weather creates. In this instance the clouds were putting the foreground in shade and the sun was shining brightly on the pasture in the background. This is an original 6x8 inch oil, signed and ready to frame. 

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Beach Birds, 14x11 Seascape on Canvas Panel

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I enjoyed painting this bright and airy beach scene. The birds were very busy that day. This is an original oil painting on canvas panel, 11x14 inches, signed and ready to frame. 

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Bermuda Scene, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel Seascape

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The past three weeks have reminded me of when I lived in Bermuda, because we have a leak under the slab of our house and have not had the water turned on, except to quickly get essentials done. In Bermuda we caught our water on the roof and it went into a tank under the house.

When we first lived there we thought we had a leak in the tank, because we ran out of water. The local Bermudians advised us that the leak was at the top; namely, us. We learned to conserve water very carefully, with bricks in the toilet tank, turning off the water while brushing, etc. An interesting note: the tank had blind goldfish in it for the purpose of eating mosquito larvae. Yes, we drank from that tank, and the water was cleaner than it is in most of the United States.

We lived in Diamond Cottage on Suffering Lane; that was our actual address, no house numbers. In spite of the rainy winters, it was a wonderful place to live. There was beauty in every direction.

The scheduled date for our house to be replumbed is Election Day. Yes, we already voted!

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Adventures in Gordes, France from my Sketch Journal

See my sketch of the steep road we walked down? You might think that's an exaggeration; no, it is not. The cobblestones have probably been there since 1300 AD. Inside the restaurant we had to climb a steep, narrow spiral staircase that had me hanging onto the railing. It was all worth it. We had a table on our own little balcony, with a view of the sunset over the valley. The meal was elegant and delicious, the service impeccable. Gordes is a beautiful medieval cliffside town full of kind and friendly people.

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